Self-cleaning fish-screen.



G. R. MAYCOGK & G. B. AVERETT.

SELF CLEANING FISH SCREEN.

APPLIOATIOH FILED JAN- 6, 1909 Patented Mar. 30, 1909.

dnvenfon/ Witness 1 U ITEDsTATEs PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE R. MAYCOCK AND GEORGE E. AVERETT, OF SPRINGVILLE, UTAH.

SELF-CLEANING ms'msoREEN.

' Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented March so, 1909.

. Application filed January 8, 1909. Serial No. 470,959.

screeni the same to rotect the fis Under the aws of some the Commonwealths it is requirejdthat such canals be provided with screens to prevent the passage of fish during certain seasons of the year. It being known'that fish screens are likel to collect floating leaves, or other rubbis such as would tend to clog or dam up the same, it is essential that meansbe provided for automatically keeping the screens clear of such rubbish, so as to providean unobstructed passage for the water therethrough.

For; a full understanding of the invention, including its construction and characteristic advantages, reference isto be had to the following detai1 description and the accompanying drawings, in which- F gure 1 is a plan view of the invention Fig. .2 is'a vertical longitudinal sectional view thereof, certain parts being shown in elevation, and-Fig. 3 is a detail of a modification of the means for connecting the bars,

to be hereinafter described.

Throughout the several figures similar parts are referred to by like reference characters.

,At is indicated in a conventional mannera fragment of a flume or. power canal which conveys water in the direction indicated by the arrow. A screen 11, consisting of a-suitable frame 12 and a, series of bars 13is mounted for sliding movement in guide ways 14 connected in any suitable manner to the walls of the canal. At the upper end of the frame 12 is connected any suitable form of yoke 15 havin .operative connection, as by a-screw-threa ed bar 16 with a hand wheel, 17, journaled for rotation in a cross head 18 supported above the canal. By this hand-operated'means the screen mayeither be elevated entirely clear of the water in the canal as may be desirable in certain seasons of the year, or else it maybe adjusted lprovide proper tension on the slightly to driving mec anism hereinbelow set forth.

J ournaled in any suitable manner below the screen and near the bottom of the canal is a shaft 19 which carries a water wheel 20. The lower portion of the water wheel dips into and is driven by the current of water flowing through the. canal. Connected to said shaftl9 1s a pinion 21 which meshes with a gear 22 mounted on a counter shaft 23. Said shaft 23 is provided with sprocket wheels 24, which serve to drive suitable sprocket chains 25, which extend around the frame-12 and screen 11, passing over idler sprockets 26, 27, and 28. The sprockets 26 are g'ournaled at or near the lower end of the rame and the sprockets 27 at the u per end of the frame. The sprocket whee s 28 are journaled in bearings carried by a sn 4 plemental frame 29, WhlCh is mounted so stantially stationary with respect to the canal walls and which extends suflicientlyfar down stream to project beyond the water wheel and the gearing. An idler sprocket or sprockets 30 may be located between the water wheel and the screen at any suitable place for the purpose of maintaining proper riving connection between the chains and the sprockets 24, and whereby in connection with the adjustability of the screen will insure proper tension on the chains. The sprockets will preferably be journaled in stationary bearings carried by the canal walls.

A rake 31 having teeth or prongs 32 is mounted transversely of the screen and con nected to the-chains 25, whereby the rake is adapted to drag up along the screen for the pur ose of drawing any rubbish which won d tend to clog the same up over the up per end of the screen and out beyond t overhang 29. Any suitable number of such rakes may be connected to the chains, ordinarily, however, one being sufficient. If.de-' sired the upper ends 13 of the screen bars may be directed horizontally so as, to he above the over-hang 29, thus insuring that "the rubbish will be drawn from'the-screen ovedr upon and beyond the over-hang aforesai I In order to prevent the passage of fish bescreen bars" the rake 31 will pass. This their upper ends as indicated at 13, -and.

spaced apart byspacing sleeves 13", whereby by changing the said sleeves so as to vary their length the bars 13 may be spaced apart at greater or less distances, depending upon the desire in any particular case. I

Having thus set forth the best embodiment of the invention now known to us, but

not desiring to be limited to the specific construction il ustrated except as will be necessaryby the state of the prior art, what we claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent. ofthe United States, is:

1. In a self-cleaning fish screen, the combination of a frame, screen bars connected thereto, wheels journaled at the upper and lower ends of said frame, flexible power elements operating over said wheels, a rakeconnected to said flexible elements and operating over said screen bars longitudinally thereof, a transverse shaft mounted below the screen, a water wheelmounted on said shaft, a counter-shaft above the ower shaft, gearing connectin the water w eel and the counter-shaft and aving driving connection with the aforesaid flexible elements, said flexible elements passing entirely around the screen bars and frame and around said counter-shaft.

2. In a self-cleaning fish screen, the com bination of a screen proper com rising a frame and screen bars connecte thereto,

means for adjusting the screen longitudinally, a stationary platform on the down stream side of the screen, sprocket wheels journaled in said platform and in said frame, power means below the, screen and latform, sprocket chains passing around sai sprocket wheels and driven from said power means, and a rake connected to said chains and operatively said screen and platform.

thereby upwardly over and around- 3. In a self-cleaning fish screen, the comand bars, driving connections between'the power means and said rake, a stationary platform on the down stream side of the upper end of the frame, saidbars at their upper ends extending above saidplatform, and means to adjust the frame relatively to said platform.

, In testimony whereof we afiix our signatures in-presence of two witnesses.

GEORGE R. MAYOOGK. GEORGE E. .AVER TT.

Witnesses JOHN R. BRoMLEY,

Geo. W. CLARKE. 

